10 Long TV Running Gags You Never Even Noticed

Perhaps the single most memorable moment in Arrested Development happens in the season two episode "Out on a Limb," where poor Buster Bluth (Tony Hale) has his hand bitten off by a loose seal, with the missing limb then being replaced by a hook.

Hilariously, though, Buster's impending dismemberment was foreshadowed almost an entire year in advance, with a series of gags throughout the latter part of season one and first half of season two.

These include a flashback to Michael (Jason Bateman) performing in the play The Trial of Captain Hook, Buster declaring "This party is going to be off the hook," a mention of a seal attack on the news, Buster playing a claw game and winning a toy seal, and Buster sitting on a bench which reads "arm off."

This is just a few examples, but of course nobody read into these gags on an initial viewing because nobody knew the fate awaiting Buster.

Even on repeat watches most of these sight gags and one-liners come so thick and fast that you might well miss them. Brilliant.